Expert takes samples of unearthed explosive substances

For the second time this week, an expert from the Petroleum and Explosives Organisation today examined the explosives unearthed along with arms near here and collected samples of the substances for testing.

Accompanied by police officials, Deputy Controller of Explosives Sheikh Hussain from Chennai inspected the explosives which included grenades and land mines at the site where they were found buried at Thangachimadam, officials said.

He took samples of the explosives, whose unearthing while digging for a septic tank on June 25 has caused anxiety among the locals.

This is the second time that Petroleum and Explosives Organisation officials inspected the ammunitions.

On July 3, Hussain along another Deputy Controller of Explosives Prashant Yadav had visited the spot for inspection and later said the landmines could be defused only by DRDO experts, as the fuse system was complex.

The locals have been raising apprehension about their safety in view of the delay in defusing the explosives, which have been kept in a pit in wet conditions in the area.

The items seized included eight rolls of wires for connecting the explosives, 20 land mines, 11 packets of explosive chemicals, 15 hand grenades, 400 automatic rifle bullets.

The arms and ammunition are suspected to have been buried by Sri Lankan Tamil militant outfits some of whom had camped in the region in the 1980's at the height of the ethnic war in the neighbouring island nation.